Sure, it’s got all the elements of an overblown spy novel. That’s why Cohen has a book proposal about to make the rounds with top agent David Kuhn, and why he’s had dinner with Oliver Stone, and met with Band of Brothers writer Bruce C. McKenna.

I don't doubt the guy's sincerity, but the story is a little too breathlessly told...posted by KokuRyu at 6:29 PM on July 1, 2007

Heavy reading. Very odd juxtaposition that the other feature article is about pole-dancing as a fitness craze.posted by BrotherCaine at 6:36 PM on July 1, 2007

The International Red Cross recently went against its own rules and publicly criticized the government of Myanmar for its treatment of prisoners. It was actually so bad they felt they could do nothing more constructive by maintaining a presence there, and that their only option was to go public.

What are you talking about?posted by delmoi at 8:52 PM on July 1, 2007

...and from Dave Navarro and Perry Farrell, I learned party skills that would translate into me finding more underage victims than the ICE [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] agents, State Department and police combined.”

ummm, several pages of the article describe Cohen participating in breaking up a house of enslaved women in CALIFORNIA.posted by lastobelus at 3:35 AM on July 2, 2007 [1 favorite]

You're absolutely right, lastobelus, I was not clear at all.

I meant to refer to crazed military dictatorships, not human slavery (even though, yes, that was a main point of the article). Also I put quotes around "West" to denote it not as a literal, physical place but as a, a, a what(?), a network of options and luxuries (whether they are even understood as such) that (among other things) help to isolate those in its embrace from those not... That's a lame definition but I hope you understand my point.

Secondly, "...but only similar - not quite like all of Choen's story..." should read "...but only just similar."

Seriously, though, an amazing article. I've long been a fan of the O.C. Weekly, and it's articles like this one that remind me why.posted by infinitywaltz at 9:27 AM on July 2, 2007

I am curious if anyone happens to know the name of the PR firm that worked with SLORC to change their name to State Peace and Development Council. They are referred to over and over again in various articles, but never by name.

There is an interesting resource over on one of the official Mynamar websites. You can read on a wide variety of subjects written by loyal servants of the government. aHere's an example. The site is confusing to navigate but worth exploring. It reminds me of some of the similar sites that the North Korean government publishes.posted by misterpatrick at 10:21 AM on July 2, 2007

Needs a ‘hero’ tag.

Part of the problem is that people see this as ‘sex’ rather than slavery. At least in part. There’s the titillation factor of course, but I suspect the social resistance comes from the conceptualization of human trafficking - in certain quarters - as a specialized thing. That is, it’s not slavery because it’s for sex, and so forth. The emphasis is on the task not on the state of the individual. So there is some tension there since some folks want to avoid the guilt feelings associated with sexual repression. There’s arguments for legalization of prostitution, cultural relativism, etc. etc. all that.
Which can all be avoided by sharpening the terms - e.g.: children are being sold into slavery and being brutally raped and abused daily.
That gets more of the “Holy fuck! What!?!?” level of outrage this warrants. Rather than the “human trafficking” and “sexual slavery” terms. Not that they’re not accurate, but this kind of work is driven by funding and agency focus. Lots of good work being done by amateurs, but unless they’re independantly wealthy, they’re being backed by someone. The real problem is balancing that with the level of secrecy required to do this kind of work. Granted most tourists look the same, but the folks doing the funding do like to talk about how they’re giving money to people to help these kids. And really, God bless ‘em. But y’know, stories like this are double edged.posted by Smedleyman at 11:50 AM on July 2, 2007

Interesting story, I just wonder how verifiable Cohen's work is.

Even if it's only 25 percent true, still...pretty nuts.posted by wuwei at 12:09 PM on July 2, 2007

Tags

Share

About MetaFilter

MetaFilter is a weblog that anyone can contribute a link or a comment to. A typical weblog is one person posting their thoughts on the unique things they find on the web. This website exists to break down the barriers between people, to extend a weblog beyond just one person, and to foster discussion among its members.